Synthetic vision systems of various kinds are known in the art. Synthetic vision typically comprises a set of technologies that provide drivers of vehicles (including but not limited to aircraft) with images that assist the driver with understanding their operating environment. Such systems tend to use information regarding position and location to make selective use of stored information regarding local terrain and obstacles available to the driver via a corresponding graphic display.
Synthetic vision continues to hold great promise while also frequently falling fall short of hoped-for benefits, pricing, usability, and value. Problems range from issues regarding the relative utility of the information provided to annoyance with display flickering due to relatively low refresh rates (which is in turn owing in many cases to compromises made with respect to the computational platform selected to support the synthetic vision processing regarding cost and complexity versus capability and performance).
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.